LA889-7-SP-CO:
Translation Portfolio II (Chinese-English)
2024/25
Language and Linguistics
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
15
11 April 2022
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
DIP T1Q909 Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting
In this module, you will continue to practice weekly translation of texts of different domains and genres, to further improve your skills according to the specific requirements of translation. Texts will be taken from educational, socio-political and promotional areas mainly.
You will learn to analyse the source texts at various levels, identify translation challenges and overcome them by applying different strategies and translation techniques.
In line with current translation practices, you will be trained to translate into both Chinese and English. This will ensure that you are equipped to enter the translation market and have an edge over your competitors.
The aims of this module are the following:
1. To develop your practical ability to translate from English to Chinese and vice versa through a wide variety of tasks.
2. To develop your awareness of specialist fields of knowledge (educational, socio-political, promotional) and their characteristic text types.
3. To become aware of the multiple dimensions of meaning of written texts, representing different genres and text types, and to recognise their most salient features for the purposes envisaged for the original text and the target text.
4. To refine and deepen your understanding of both your Chinese and English language and culture. Issues of cultural transfer will be addressed as they impinge on the translation process. You will become familiar with a variety of strategies for dealing with mismatches between source and target languages and cultures.
5. To enhance your skills as a professional translator in:
- Preparation for translation assignments
- Solving translation problems in various aspects
- Quality Assurance
- Development and evaluation of your own performance as a translator and that of your peers
1. Further improved skills and strategies in English-Chinese and Chinese-English translation.
2. Ability to identify and record the characteristic terminology, structure and stylistic features of texts from different fields of knowledge, recognising a range of specialist texts and devising a suitable strategy for translation.
3. Sensitivity to language structure, language function and the intricacies of intercultural communication, as well as sufficient understanding of core linguistic and cultural concepts to be able to recognise potential translation problems and adopt creative solutions.
4. Develop a good method to prepare for translation assignments (e.g. background reading on subject field, use of parallel texts, etc.)
5. Use techniques to compile and/or maintain a glossary of terms relevant to each translation task
6. Run quality assurance checks, evaluating the effectiveness of techniques used and be able to argue knowledgeably for and against specific translation choices
Topics to be covered in class include:
1. Reflection and improved understanding on translation
2. Translation as a process and as a product
3. Cultural transposition
4. Translation loss and compensation
5. Formal properties of texts (phonic/graphic, prosodic, grammatical, sentential, discursive and inter-textual issues)
6. Literal and connotative meaning
7. Language variety (register, sociolect, dialect, etc.)
8. Translation of consumer-oriented texts
9. Revising and editing TTs
Weekly translation practice of texts belonging to different genres and dealing with different topics such as: educational, socio-political, and promotional. Classes will be complemented by workshops and seminars led by professionals in the field. Please refer to the schedule that will be circulated by the MA Director.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Translation Task + Commentary |
|
60% |
| Coursework |
Translation Task |
18/02/2025 |
40% |
Additional coursework information
N/A
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Ms Yujia Wang, email: yujia.wang@essex.ac.uk.
Yujia Wang
4.121; Yujia.wang@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
Dr Chonglong Gu
University of Liverpool
Lecturer in Chinese Translation Studies
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
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